Going hand-in-hand with durability, the Exped MegaMat is solid enough that if you’re sharing with an adventure buddy, you don’t have to worry about “rocking the boat” if you have to relieve yourself in the middle of the night. The pad stays evenly inflated and relatively quiet despite any flipping and flopping a restless sleeper may cause.
An Outdoor Mattress that Will Help You Sleep Like a Rock
With the weather warming up and the days getting longer, it’s hard not to daydream about the many outdoor adventures to come. One of the things I’m looking forward to most is really just a simple car camping trip. I’ve already been going through my camping gear, trying to make sure I have everything I need for a safe and comfortable adventure. After taking inventory of every piece of gear I had and evaluating all of their functions, I identified something I lacked: something to sleep on.
I have a friend who goes car camping pretty frequently, either by taking the shortcut and sleeping in the back of his car, or by putting in the effort to pitch a tent. I figured he must have a good sleeping pad with all the camping he does. So I asked him what he uses, and he swears by the Exped MegaMat Duo Sleeping Pad.
Now let me get the pad news out of the way first: this is a pricey sleeping pad. At $330 for a medium double and $380 for a long double wide, this sleeping pad costs about the same as a decent mattress. Having said that, my friend assures me it’s worth every penny. Here’s his reasons why:
Durable. This sleeping pad ain’t your minimalist backpacking pad that springs a leak with the lightest poke of a pebble. This pad is so tough, it even stands up to your dog’s claws. In the event of an unlikely puncture, the Exped MegaMat comes with a repair kit so your entire camping trip doesn’t become a lost cause. You and your pup can snuggle all you want – doggos rejoice!
Car-compatible. The Exped MegaMat Duo in a medium double size fits in your Subaru Forester-size cars just as well as it fits in your Toyota Tacoma-size trucks. If you have a full-size truck or a passenger van, you could make the upgrade to the long wide double size for an even more spacious night of sleep.
Robust. Going hand-in-hand with durability, the Exped MegaMat is solid enough that if you’re sharing with an adventure buddy, you don’t have to worry about “rocking the boat” if you have to relieve yourself in the middle of the night. The pad stays evenly inflated and relatively quiet despite any flipping and flopping a restless sleeper may cause.
Quality. No more sacrificing a good night’s sleep for enjoying the outdoors! This sleeping pad is more comfortable than many of the Air BnB mattresses travelers pay hundreds to sleep on. It also has a high R-value of 8.1, meaning it provides ample insulation from the cool ground below.
If you’re like me and you’re in need of a comfortable sleeping pad that will last through a lifetime of car camping with your adventure buddy or poochy, the Exped MegaMat Duo is worth breaking the bank for.
NOTE: I am an REI employee, however, I am not speaking on behalf of REI in this publication. That being said, Exped MegaMat pads, coincidentally, are available
at https://www.rei.com/search?q=exped+megamat
Durable. This sleeping pad ain’t your minimalist backpacking pad that springs a leak with the lightest poke of a pebble. This pad is so tough, it even stands up to your dog’s claws. In the event of an unlikely puncture, the Exped MegaMat comes with a repair kit so your entire camping trip doesn’t become a lost cause. You and your pup can snuggle all you want – doggos rejoice!
Car-compatible. The Exped MegaMat Duo in a medium double size fits in your Subaru Forester-size cars just as well as it fits in your Toyota Tacoma-size trucks. If you have a full-size truck or a passenger van, you could make the upgrade to the long wide double size for an even more spacious night of sleep.
Robust. Going hand-in-hand with durability, the Exped MegaMat is solid enough that if you’re sharing with an adventure buddy, you don’t have to worry about “rocking the boat” if you have to relieve yourself in the middle of the night. The pad stays evenly inflated and relatively quiet despite any flipping and flopping a restless sleeper may cause.
Quality. No more sacrificing a good night’s sleep for enjoying the outdoors! This sleeping pad is more comfortable than many of the Air BnB mattresses travelers pay hundreds to sleep on. It also has a high R-value of 8.1, meaning it provides ample insulation from the cool ground below.
If you’re like me and you’re in need of a comfortable sleeping pad that will last through a lifetime of car camping with your adventure buddy or poochy, the Exped MegaMat Duo is worth breaking the bank for.
NOTE: I am an REI employee, however, I am not speaking on behalf of REI in this publication. That being said, Exped MegaMat pads, coincidentally, are available
at https://www.rei.com/search?q=exped+megamat
My name is Shaelynn Davis, but I usually go by Shae. No, my name is not spelled like the “shea” in “shea butter.” If it was, my name would be pronounced like “shee-uh,” or in my case, “shee-uh-lin” in full. I believe the parents who spell it as “Shea” have it all wrong. But that’s just my opinion.
ANYways, if this pandemic has taught me anything the past couple years (other than the fact that I have a tiny face that can only fit in kids masks), it’s that I lean pretty hard towards the label of “introvert.” However, I’m not going to label myself as such because there are also times when I can be extremely loud and goofy, and I’ve realized this usually happens when I’m enjoying the outdoors in some capacity. So, for obvious reasons, I like to play outside a lot! Growing up in Central Oregon, I dabbled in all kinds of things: trail running, mountain biking, kayaking, paddleboarding, rock climbing, alpine skiing, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and backpacking, along with school sports like soccer and ultimate frisbee. After attending the University of Oregon and playing on their nationally-ranked club ultimate team for all four years, I’ve been enjoying exploring new areas in Oregon on the west (west? more like wet!!) side of the Cascades, specifically through activities like mountain biking, road biking, disc golfing, hiking, and gardening. I’m not an expert at anything, I just love trying new things, especially if it means I get to be outside.
I don’t recreate outdoors to “bag a peak” or “do it for the gram.” I recreate outdoors to get in touch with my wild side and learn more about myself and the world around me. I can be kind of a nerd about it, too. You best believe I’m gonna be packing that tree ID book for that hike so I can get to know every tree along the trail. You best believe I’m gonna bring along that roadside geology book for that road trip and make my partner pull over for every geological feature worth my time. I recreate outdoors because the natural world sparks my curiosity and makes me feel like a scientist – which, in my opinion, we can all be scientists if we are curious and observant enough. I recreate outdoors because it fuels my passion for climate change mitigation and reminds me of how beautiful this world is that we have the gift of living in. And wow, what would be a better place to remind me of this gift than my breathtaking home state of Oregon?
Now I know I said I don’t “do it for the gram,” but I do still partake in some mainstream social media. If you want to follow my adventures, big and small, on Instagram, my handle is @shaeraedavis.
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